Chargers QB room ranked among top 10 in NFL

One of the most underrated moves made by Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley ahead of the 2021 season was signing Chase Daniel to be the backup to Justin Herbert. Daniel is widely viewed as one of the league’s best backups not just for being a consistent performer in spot duty, but he’s also seen as one of the best locker room presences to help guide young quarterbacks.

Add in that the young quarterback currently working alongside Daniel in Los Angeles is none other than Justin Herbert and it’s easy to see how much that decision two years ago paid off.

In a new set of rankings over at Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Gary Davenport took to the task of listing every team’s quarterback situation from worst to first heading into 2022. Unsurprisingly, the Chargers were ranked well within the top 10 teams as they landed seventh among all clubs.

“From all indications, Justin Herbert is the real deal,” says Davenport. “Herbert set a new NFL rookie record for touchdown passes with 31. He followed that up by throwing for 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2021, both of which paced the AFC. As impressive as those numbers were, Herbert recently insisted that the best is yet to come.”

“‘The biggest thing is understanding that we’re miles ahead of where we were last year,’ Herbert told reporters at OTAs in mid-May. ‘Last year, we were focused on calling the right plays in the huddle and making sure everyone was lined up in the huddle and getting lined up on the field.’”

“The Los Angeles Chargers appear to have the pieces in place for Herbert to have another massive statistical season. They bolstered their offensive line this offseason, and they have an impressive array of skill-position talent headlined by wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and all-purpose tailback Austin Ekeler.

Davenport also asserted that another notable season from Herbert in 2022 could inevitably push him into the top five of next year’s edition of this list. After a 5,000-yard passing season, regression is likely in the cards, but that also means regression is likely in other impactful areas such as Herbert’s 15 interceptions.

All in all, I believe a 4,500-yard, 35-touchdown season is easily in the cards for the third-year passer as he progresses even more in year two of the Staley era. A campaign of that level is sure to elevate Herbert and the Chargers quarterback room higher and higher among the NFL’s most-important position group.